mardi 27 janvier 2009

Alpha Beta Parra

Parra has a particular style, uses particular colors. In other words, he's a particular you must have seen before :

in an art gallery, on a flyer,on a CD/vynil cover ... et very often on the streets, the first place where this young Amsterdamer likes to display his creations. The same exact streets of Amsterdam where his fan literly hunt for boards, posters and other piece of art to stick in their tiny rooms.

Typographist and graphist, Parra grew up surrounded by his father, the artist, who galvanize his taste for oil paint and canvas. Seduced, Parra kicks off his career in the early 90s, inspired by a growing Street Culture. Lame Face or 3rd Eye Crew were spraying out their talent on the walls of the city.

Inspired, but not a copycat. Parra avoids the 3D typo that is so popular among european graffers. Parra expresses simple thoughts, with simple colors that were not usually mixed (the red and the orange for instance, an combination that was forbiden for a long time, and made fashionable thanks to Yves Saint Laurent's transgressive talent).

What we all owe to Parra, is his ever-lasting willing to keep his art afordable : he creates the exhibition in 2005 in London called "Jobs I did for Friends for under £100". Marketing strategy or true selflessness ? The pieces sells out in less than 72 hours ...

Refusing to cope with the theory of the Offer and Demand, Parra keeps his price range, allowing his public to purchase original pieces, whatever their budget is. He keeps on creating for his friends too, people he likes.

Up-to-date as can be, he starts his clothing company, Rockwell Clothing. Transverse projects to resist to the crisis (as tells us Gildas and Masaya, founders of the label AND clothing company Kitsuné on Brain) ? Parra also produces music under the name "Parra Soundsystem". A colorful music that reminds of his paints.

To wrap things all up, we wish him to resist to 2009 (and the following years), which forecast the come back to goth' tendancies, Blacks, pale skins and hairnets. Parra in Black&White ?

The pictures were taken at his last exhibitions in Paris called "Boo to the Hoo" - La Galerie Lazy DogS.